Homer Iddings Elementary School

As a moderately sized K-5 school in Merrillville, Indiana, Homer Iddings Elementary School instructs 535 students from grades pre-K through 4, run under Merrillville Community School Corp. Compared to the state average of about 436 students per school, that is 23% above typical.

Homer Iddings Elementary School is one of 8 schools operated by Merrillville Community School Corp, a district that teaches 5,904 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Homer Iddings Elementary School shows that 63% of the student body identifies as Black. The remainder breaks down as 18% Hispanic, 11% White, 6% multiracial. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 23%.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.7:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 44% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, On a poverty-adjusted basis, Homer Iddings Elementary School sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 44.2%; actual is 22.3%, a gap of -21.9 points.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Lake County put median household earnings sit near $71,493, roughly 26% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Lake County's 121 public schools (combined enrollment of about 74,661 students), Homer Iddings Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Pierce Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Homer Iddings Elementary School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 25.9%.

The campus sits in a residential setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 10%: 595 students in 2018 compared to 535 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share rose from 54% to 63%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 17.5:1 in 2018 to 14.7:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.